My Red Balloon

April 7, 2014
Originally published in 2011, Japanese author-illustrator Yamada’s first children’s book follows the journey of a girl who boards a bus while holding a red balloon. Each time the old-fashioned yellow bus stops, an animal gets on—a bear, a rabbit, and so on—and when the balloon blows away, the animals kindly help the girl search for it. “Penguin,” they ask the most recent passenger, “did you see where the red balloon went?” “It’s flying up in the clouds,” Penguin reports. Yamada paints flat, naïve-style landscapes with gentle hills and stylized trees. Warm colors and the wide spreads lend an air of dreamy calm as the bus stops and stops again. Alert readers will notice that yellow signs show that each bus stop is reserved for the animal seen waiting there. Although the balloon meets an untimely end, the animals and the bus driver gather around the girl, drawing her attention to another red balloon in the sky—the one that sets there every night. A quiet bedtime excursion for youngest readers. Ages 2–6.

April 1, 2014
A day in the life of a girl, her animal friends and her special red balloon. Starting at the bus stop where the little girl stands waiting, this sparsely worded book traces the day. Though she is the lone passenger on the bus, she is not lonely. When the bus stops for the purse-carrying brown bear, the girl excitedly shows the balloon to the bear--but loses it out the window. The bus follows the balloon, stopping to pick up various animal friends along the way to help with the search. Naive, childlike illustrations invite readers to look for the balloon, which hides behind a tree, floats out of the frame, dangles from a cloud and reappears in the mountains. When a black bird pops it, the girl's sadness cannot be assuaged until the friends find the balloon, reborn as something new. Young readers will enjoy finding the heart-shaped tree, multicolored clover plants, bus-stop signs that change with the riders and a Popsicle-eating penguin. The illustrator's use of the horizon line keeps the focus on the trip, and each page turn reveals just how long a journey this is. The muted paintings have a flat, folk-art feel that adds to the warm tone of the story. The children of modern, worry-filled parents will find this girl's solo adventure on the bus inspiring. This buoyant tale elegantly conveys the sustaining gift of friendship. (Picture book. 3-6)

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June 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-A demure little girl wearing a red dress and clutching the string of a red balloon waits at a bus stop. She boards the large yellow bus, and off they go. At the next stop, she proudly shows her balloon to the new passenger, Bear, but panics when it blows away. The bus continues on its route following the balloon. At each stop, another animal boards to help with the search. Rabbit, Penguin, Elephant, and Giraffe direct the driver until at last they catch up with the errant balloon. Just as the trailing string is within their grasp, a passing bird pops the balloon. The girl's new friends cheer her up and they all pause to admire another huge red object in the sky as the sun sets over the ocean. Minimalist, collage-like illustrations accompany the succinct narrative in this philosophical story of friendship and determination. Muted primary colors and simple, geometric figures lend an innocent charm to the pictures. As young readers, page by page, become more invested in the search, they can help the distressed little girl by spotting the lost balloon hidden in the double-page landscapes. Pair this with another bus ride adventure, Kent Redeker's Don't Squish the Sasquatch (Disney-Hyperion, 2012).-Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

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